DRAFTWHEATON FACADE IMPROVEMENT GUIDELINES

2013

MONTGOMERY COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SERVICES

WHEATON URBAN DISTRICT

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Wheaton Facade Improvement Guidelines - 2013

1.0 Intro

2.0 Improvement Elements Paint Repoint-Repair-Patch Lighting Glazing Plantings/Greenery Canopies Signage Entry Facade Applications

3.0 Implementation - Your Toolkit Top Middle Base

4.0 Summary

1.0 Intro

1.0 INTROThe Wheaton Redevelopment Pro-gram, part of Montgomery County Department of General Services, and the Mid County Regional Ser-vice Center are pleased to offer the enclosed Guidelines for Façade Im-provement. While created to assist participants in the Wheaton Façade Improvement Program, we encour-age commercial property owners or businesses in Wheaton to use these guidelines when improving the ap-pearance of their property or busi-ness.

By utilizing the following Guidelines as a toolkit for renovation and urban rebranding Wheaton property own-ers and businesses will be able to display a comfortable, inviting , co-herent and improved commercial character. The following information represents simple, yet fundamental cosmetic architectural improve-ments which will produce maximum opportunity to showcase Wheaton’s commercial potential.

We wish to express our deep gratit-ide to Chuck Witmer, AIA and prin-cipal of START Architects, for gener-ously donating his time and talent to produce this guide.

2.0 IMPROVEMENT ELEMENTS

The guidelines seek to create unique blocks and the plan envi-sions that no two individual facades will be identical. Not all new design elements need to line up. Building facades should have a clear iden-tity that vary both horizontally and vertically. This shall be achieved through variation in color, windows, doors, lighting, greenery, signage, entries and canopies.

2.0 Improvement Elements

2.0 Improvement Elements

PAINT

Improving the appearance of a building can easily start with a few new coats of paint. These guidelines do not specify the colors but rather the paint selection process should fall in line with the businesses own individual color theme. The flexibility of this choice will allow for independence and at the same time promote a harmonious and coherent scheme which varies from building to building. The paint colors could range from general to detailed. Painting the storefront with a unifying color palette provides a great return on a small investment.

REPOINT - REPAIR - PATCH

Wheaton has a wide variety of mercantile building facades types. Many of which are older and would be well served with a minor face lift. It is important to align our renova-tion efforts in a way that maintains the certain identifiable charm of the area. Therefore, it seems essential to start by taking the time to clean up what is already there. If a building has crumbling mortar, dislocated bricks, or suf-fers from other minor cosmetic/non-structure blemishes, it would be important to address this before proceeding with other repairs. If the mortar is loose and not paintable, than it should be repointed. If bricks are dislocated or broken, they should be repaired, If there are small portions of brick that are in disrepair, they should be patched. If stucco and dryvit have dents and dings then they should be filled in and resurfaced.

2.0 Improvement Elements

LIGHTING

It is one thing to use paint to pronounce the beauty of a building during the daylight hours. One of the best ways to suggest and invite commerce in the evening along the block is to encourage the installation of attractive and evocative lighting fixtures. Good lighting can help unify the block by reinforcing and highlighting the presence of appreciating storefront and open businesses. Good lighting also pushes away any vagrant behavior by illuminating shadowy areas that can often be a refuge to individuals who might otherwise hamper shoppers from walking the block or visiting the businesses which are hoping to at-tract commerce. Good lighting can showcase signage, focus attention toward products in storefronts and generally enliven a unified streetscape.

2.0 Improvement Elements

GLAZING

Enlarging/maximizing storefront window pres-ence. Glazing, often also known as storefront windows, is a critical aspect of a successful business attempting to attract shoppers pass-ing by. It helps to promote the products inside the shop and stretches the interior experience of a building towards the streetscape. While boarded up buildings scream that a passer by has no business looking into shop, a well lit and clear storefront window suggests that a pass-erby come closer and view a taste of what is inside. Good glazing suggests transparency and a comforting reflection of what a pass-erby may enjoy if they come inside. A com-prehensive glazing initiative which empowers store owners to further enhance or to add additional glazing to their facades will help to further engage passing shoppers and motor-ists. In the evening, glazing further illuminates the streetscape like lanterns guiding shoppers towards commerce.

2.0 Improvement Elements

PLANTINGS/GREENERY

It is obvious that vegetation helps to soften any urban streetscape. We all are aware that walking inside a concrete jungle does not promote meandering or prolonged street activity. No one appreciates being hemmed in along an anonymous maze of concrete sidewalk which seems to lack character, variety, or orientation. Vegetation and fixtures which house vegetation contribute to cre-ate a lush embellishment for a facade. Those features also helps to promote a warm narra-tive along an unified streetscape and offer a soft counterbalance against roughness of the built environment. Planters can be applied to the building as permanent architectural win-dow fixtures or stand as independent planting fixtures which are extended into the sidewalk, acting as small anchors. Not only are planters and window boxes welcoming and refreshing, they are fundamentally a basic beautification element. Vegetation elements will unify the block by relaying a sense of rebirth and reno-vation that is a common goal of shop keepers. This low cost, welcoming, and warming influ-ence will further help to pronounce Wheaton’s effort to investment in the animation of it’s commercial streetscape.

2.0 Improvement Elements

CANOPIES

Canopies and awnings are also architectural elements which help to enhance the pres-ence of inviting and open businesses. Much like vegetation and planters, help to bring a human scale and feeling to a building and the streetscape. Canopies and awnings help to focus attention on specific business loca-tions by providing surfaces for signage and by defining business entrances. Canopies serve a functional purpose by covering the entry from rain and sun. By investing in improving canopies, Wheaton will add a texture and character above the streetscape much like the planters and the improved windows help to enhance the street level environment.

2.0 Improvement Elements

SIGNAGE

Great looking signs could help to promote distinction and definition to the businesses along the street. By moving away from ge-neric, cheap, undistinguished signs, the Whea-ton district could enhance the flavor and appeal of the streetscape. These guidelines promote and assist business owners to de-velop unique signage while operating within a general theme. Commercial districts can gain a distinctive identity by offering a unifying signage theme with independent flexibly and thereby demonstrate a collective effort by the commercial district to be united and open to creative independence.

2.0 Improvement Elements

ENTRY

Improving the focus and character of pedes-trian entrances to stores including colors of doors, interesting hardware, and distinctive feature. Eyes are the gateway to the soul just as a entry door to a business should be a clear indication of the interesting prospects that should exist within a shop. Door improvements could be as simple as providing more glass for transparency or more elaborate hardware like a modern door pull, push bar or hinges. Other improvements could include the presence of interesting graphics or a distinctive vibrant colors to highlight the entry to the business. Much of the door enhancements could be held in concert with the previously mentioned improvements to develop a comprehensive facade renovation.

2.0 Improvement Elements

FACADE APPLICATIONS

General embellishments that could further enhance the facade would be the addition of trim, moldings, bands, and similar architec-tural elements which are helpful at creating depth and character of a buildings surface. While some of the buildings along the pro-posed commercial corridor have certain attractive features, many of the buildings would benefit from the layering and depth of a few architectural elements. Adding limited amouts of elaborate trim around doorways and windows is an inexpensive way to cre-ate texture and depth to a facade. Similarly, decorative base and cap band applied to the buildings facade help to give the buildings a instant weight and gravitas without structural changes and with very little labor. This type of investment in the overall architectural charac-ter could be both an immediate improvement to businesses and a way to steadily lay the groundwork for a comprehensive and signifi-cant architectural guideline for future devel-opment in the district. Some examples of this are capitals or cornices, corresponding trim on windows, or the presence of equal yet distinc-tive molding on doorways.

2.0 Improvement Elements

3.0 IMPLEMENTATION - YOUR TOOLKIT

3.0 IMPLEMENTATION YOUR TOOLKIT

This portion of the guidelines will show you where you can, in more specifics, implement the elements from Section 2.0 with visual instruc-tion and examples.

3.0 IMPLEMENTATION - YOUR TOOLKIT

TOP

TOP

TOPThe top of the facade is much like the finish-ing touch to the facade. It is an item that finishes off an ensemble, creates a clear dis-tinction, a remarkable identity within a very small amount of space. The top of a build-ing usually has a unifying common theme/element that is altered specifically by the individual. The top architectural zone is the area where shop owners can select indi-vidual colors, accents, and styles within a predetermined set to create a very person-alized and individually specific character to the over-arching, underlying palette.

Applicable Elements may include:LightingPaintSignage

MID

DLE

MID

DLE

3.0 IMPLEMENTATION - YOUR TOOLKIT

MIDDLEThe middle of the facade starts above the water table, which is usually in the range of 24” to 42” above grade. The middle of the building is where there is an effort to devel-op an architectural or stylistic ensemble, the area of a building where there is a complex coordination between the materials of the building, the windows, the doors, and other necessary elements . The middle is the area where the material often takes on a more colorful, charming character. It is the area where the trim color of glazing must coordi-nate with the color of the general material of the building, where the size and tone of the windows must work in harmony with the size and placement of the door.

Applicable Elements may include:LightingCanopiesSignageGlazingPaint

BASE

BASE

3.0 IMPLEMENTATION - YOUR TOOLKIT

BASEThe base begins at ground or sidewalk level and terminates at the junction with the middle. The junction between the two zones is often denoted by a “water table”, which is typically an articulated surface (small bump-out) that serves as a lip for the glazing (windows) or, if there is no glazing, a change in the material palette. In this area, buildings are usually built with a heavy, course material which helps to promote or architecturally suggest a certain weight or foundation for the building.

Applicable Elements may include:LightingPlantings/Greenery

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3.0 IMPLEMENTATION - YOUR TOOLKIT

EXAMPLE 11 NEW SIGN2 NEW STEEL HEADER3 NEW WALL SCONCES4 NEW PLANTER BOXES5 NEW PAINT SCHEME

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EXAMPLE 2

3.0 IMPLEMENTATION - YOUR TOOLKIT

1 NEW CORNICE2 NEW RAINSCREEN SURFACE3 NEW CANOPY WITH GREENROOF4 RELOCATED EXISTING SIGN

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EXAMPLE 3

3.0 IMPLEMENTATION - YOUR TOOLKIT

1 NEW LIGHTING2 NEW SIGN3 NEW DOOR PULL

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EXAMPLE 4

3.0 IMPLEMENTATION - YOUR TOOLKIT

1 NEW CANOPY2 NEW LIGHTING3 NEW SIGNAGE4 NEW RECESSED LIGHTS

4.0 SUMMARY

4.O SUMMARYWe envision that the ideas present-ed in this document will empower property and business owners of Wheaton to make good decisions now that will impact their future. Not all elements need be implemented. Following one doesn’t mean that another one is necessarily man-dated. We stress that these improve-ments are options; and they can be utilized at the business owners discretion, capability and comfort level. Assistance is a good idea, and engaging a professional, design ori-ented Architect is a requirement. The goal of this document is to help Wheaton thrive, become a destina-tion, and provide for the needs of the many new incoming residents. We want to re-align your business so that it can start attracting new busi-ness and at the same time develop stronger relationships with your exist-ing neighbors.